Senior Associate, Online Safety Supervision

Ofcom; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Ofcom is seeking a Senior Supervision Associate to lead engagement with major online services within the Online Safety Group. You will supervise a portfolio of services, develop supervision strategies, and report progress to the wider team.

The role involves building relationships, driving improvements in user protections under the Online Safety Act, and coordinating with cross‑functional teams to deliver compliance initiatives and programmes. Fixed‑term for 12 months.

Qualifications

• Experience in complex policy compliance or with regulatory issues.
• Strong presentation and drafting skills.
• Ability to foresee trends and align actions with long‑term objectives.
• Ability to organise tasks, manage resources and monitor progress.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with relevant online services.
• Develop deep expertise in supervised services and the online safety programme.
• Understand, assess and drive improvements in protections under the Online Safety Act.
• Identify and drive research, information gathering and analysis about supervised services.
• Ensure delivery of clear, concise documents such as briefings and reports.
• Oversee and manage the workload of junior and cross‑functional colleagues.
• Build relationships with teams across Ofcom and keep them updated and included.
• Deliver initiatives across the Supervision Team, including cross‑regulatory engagement.
• Ensure clear communication and updates on the services supervised when requested.
• Drive programme management of compliance delivery with OKRs and prioritisation.

Skills

Articulating Ideas

Scanning Horizons

Executing Plans

Embracing Change

Harmonising Work

Channelling Influence

Empowering Development

Regulatory Experience

Job description

We have two fixed-term positions available, we expect them to last for 12 months.

About the Team

The Online Safety Group’s purpose is to ensure UK citizens have a safer life online by implementing and overseeing the requirements under the Online Safety Act 2023. The Group is responsible for delivering online safety policy, supervising online services, and building technical expertise to meet the regime's aims.

This role sits within Ofcom’s Supervision Team. The Supervision Team provides close, structured engagement with specific services in scope of the online safety regime, alongside an approach to promoting compliance across many thousands of services. This role will consider industry practices in good governance and standards in online safety risk assessments, working closely with other specialist teams in Ofcom and the supervision team to identify improvements.

Purpose of the Role

Our Supervision Senior Associates manage our engagement with some of the online services people use every day. You will directly supervise key tech firms, building healthy relationships so we can understand their user protections and, where necessary, encourage them to do better. As you grow into the role, we’ll support you in building your knowledge of online safety measures and the services you supervise, so you can become an expert in protecting users from harmful and illegal content.

You will be working as part of a team to supervise a portfolio of key services. You will develop supervision strategies for each service and report on progress against them to the wider Online Safety Group. You will be Ofcom's main point of contact for your services, ensuring that all of Ofcom’s engagement and requests for information align with its strategic aims while balancing proportionality.

Senior Supervision Associates also play a role in compliance delivery programmes across key harm areas, which align with Ofcom’s strategic priorities. This activity involves driving programme management across several services.

Content information and safeguarding

Applicants should be aware that whilst these roles should not involve direct exposure to illegal content, they could include working time spent on distressing content, material, and themes. Ofcom is committed to safeguarding our colleagues who undertake this type of work and offers a range of tailored support options, including training, annual psychological assessments for those regularly doing this work and 24-hour access to counselling services.

Your key responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with relevant online services
• Develop deep expertise in your supervised services and across Ofcom’s online safety programme, keeping across online safety, markets and tech developments
• Understand, assess and, where necessary, drive improvements in protections offered to users and other obligations under the Online Safety Act
• Identify and drive research, information gathering and analysis about the services you supervise and ensure analysis and outputs are drawn together for the wider team
• Ensure the delivery of clear, concise and focused documents, such as briefings and research reports, for internal use or external publication
• Oversee and manage the workload of junior and cross-functional colleagues as needed to ensure we deliver against our strategic priorities
• Build and maintain effective relationships with teams across Ofcom that work with us, ensuring they are updated, included and feel heard
• Deliver or contribute to initiatives across the Supervision Team to support our strategy, e.g. international or cross-regulatory engagement or developing expertise in specific markets
• Ensure clear communication and information sharing at all levels with the rest of the Online Safety Group and deliver clear updates on the services you supervise when requested.
• Drive effective programme management of compliance delivery for a strategic priority, including developing OKRs, effective prioritisation of issues, and supporting and working with relevant supervision teams to help them meet deadlines.

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success

• Articulating Ideas: Presentation and drafting skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise and understandable communications or documents for internal and external use.
• Experience of working in complex policy compliance or with regulatory issues
• Scanning Horizons: Grasp the bigger picture, foresee upcoming trends and challenges, and ensure actions and decisions are in sync with long-term objectives.
• Executing Plans: Organise tasks and set clear goals, managing resources wisely while monitoring progress.
• Embracing Change: Remain flexible in the face of change, anticipating and adjusting to shifts.
• Harmonising Work: Work effectively with others, creating an honest team environment and sharing valuable information and resources.
• Channelling Influence: Guide opinions and decisions with compelling communication and persuasion techniques, aiming to get everyone on the same page.
• Empowering Development: Support others in growing their skills and strengths. Empower them with guidance and let their potential shine.

Inclusive hiring at Ofcom

At Ofcom, our mission is clear: to make communications work for everyone. To achieve that, our people must reflect the diversity of the UK, in background, identity and experience.

We believe innovation thrives when difference is valued and everyone feels empowered to contribute their ideas and perspectives. That’s why we welcome colleagues of all ethnicities and races, sexes, genders and gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, faiths and beliefs, and those with apparent and non‑apparent disabilities. We value socio‑economic diversity, life experience and neurodiversity too. Whether you’re a carer, a parent, a veteran, or re‑entering work after time away, your voice and perspective matter here.

Flexibility is at the heart of how we work because we want you to thrive in a way that suits you best. Most roles can therefore be adapted for part‑time hours, job shares, or other flexible arrangements. Learn more about our Rewards, Benefits and Wellbeing on our careers page.

As a proud Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role. You can read more about this commitment here.

Whoever you are, whatever your story, you belong at Ofcom.